Dixie out of hospital; two people charged

Hopes to attend drag show on Wed, Jul 25

By Brent CreelmanJun 28, 2007, 8:00 PM EDT

Credit: Xtra files

Michael Marcil, an Ottawa gay man who was beaten at Centretown Pub last month, was released from the hospital yesterday. He is now resting at his mother’s home in Petawawa, according to his friend and fellow drag-performer Vicki Lawsuit.

After a fight at the pub on May 26, Marcil, better known by his drag persona Dixie Landers, was left with a fractured skull and brain damage, says Lawsuit.

“She’s having a hard time with speech and motor skills,” says Lawsuit. Marcil uses a wheelchair to get around, because he is not yet able to walk for long periods of time.

Today, Marcil went for an operation to deal with thrombosis (blood clots). Over the next month, he will undergo more tests and operations, and he will find out when his rehab treatment will begin, says Lawsuit.

But Marcil is healing very fast, and he hopes to attend the drag show at Helsinki Lounge on Wed, Jul 25, she says.

“When I asked her if she wanted to go, she lit up. She’s so excited to go. Whether she puts a face on or not, we’re not sure. Maybe I’ll paint her,” says Lawsuit.

“It’s not like Dixie to be cooped up,” she says.

For now, Marcil spends his days resting, watching a bit of TV, and playing games like tic-tac-toe and Scrabble — all under the care of his mother, who Lawsuit calls “an angel.”